FARMINGTON – The Farmington High School baseball team likely put itself in a position to play in next week’s state tournament after an impressive doubleheader sweep over crosstown rival Piedra Vista on Saturday at Ricketts Park.
The Scorpions snapped a four-game losing streak, taking the opening game by a final of 4-0, then rallied from a 4-1 deficit to top the Panthers 8-4 in an eight-inning affair to earn the sweep.
The sweep puts Farmington into third place in District 2-5A, likely earning the team a berth in the New Mexico Activities Association’s state baseball tournament. Ranked 15th in the 5A classification heading into the week, the back-to-back wins over a team ranked ahead of them could sway the tournament seedings, which will be announced Sunday night.
Farmington (13-12 overall, 5-5 District) won the opening game thanks to a solid pitching performance by starter Carson Padilla, who struck out nine batters and allowed only three Piedra Vista hits in a complete game win.
The Scorpions took advantage of some defensive miscues made by the Panthers, which resulted in three errors. Farmington scored a pair of runs in the third inning, then added a run in both the fourth and fifth innings to earn the shutout win.
James Martin had a pair of hits for the Scorpions in the opener, while Chris Stocking, Santiago Long, Landon Randall and Padilla each drove in a run.
In the nightcap, Piedra Vista’s offense got rolling early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third inning and adding a run in the fourth thanks to Kendrick Aragon, who had a pair of hits and an RBI as well as Jacob Ramsted, who drove in a pair of runs.
Farmington rallied from a three-run deficit in the top of the fifth inning, led by Long, who drove in four runs and went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double. Stocking also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple and scored a pair of runs.
The Scorpions tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth inning when Stocking’s 2-out triple plated Hunter Martin.
Piedra Vista pitcher J.W. Bayless let the game get away from him in the top of the eighth inning, surrendering four runs while walking three and allowing a run to score on a passed ball. An error in right field by Alijah Aranda also allowed a pair of runs to score to complete the comeback victory.
The Panthers (15-11 overall, 4-6 District) fall into fourth place in the six-team District 2-5A standings. The team came into the week ranked ninth at Class 5A according to MaxPreps and will await the seeding selection process to learn the team’s fate in the state tournament.
State tournament brackets will be announced by the NMAA on Sunday evening. For more information on the upcoming state baseball tournament, log on to the NMAA’s website at NMACT.org.
